Bryan Wesley Petitt, Child Sex Abuse Image Production, Virginia 2024

Bryan Wesley Petitt, a 33-year-old man from Keswick, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to producing child sexual abuse images and attempting to coerce a minor into sex — crimes laid bare by a sting operation that exposed his darkest intentions.

Court documents reveal Petitt engaged in sexually explicit conversations with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl — but was in fact an undercover federal agent. Fueling his predatory plan, Petitt drove from Charlottesville to military housing in Norfolk, fully intending to have sex with the child. He never made it to the rendezvous before federal agents moved in.

Upon arresting Petitt, investigators seized his phone and discovered multiple images of child sexual abuse. Forensic analysis confirmed the worst: Petitt wasn’t just a consumer — he was a producer. At least one image was created by him, placing him among the most vile offenders under federal law.

He now faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 50 years. Sentencing is scheduled for December 14 before U.S. District Judge A. Gibney, Jr. While federal sentences often fall below the maximum, the gravity of Petitt’s crimes leaves little room for leniency under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, the Department of Justice’s nationwide crackdown on child sexual exploitation. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the initiative combines federal, state, and local forces to hunt down predators using the internet to target minors.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with top officials from NCIS, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and the Norfolk Police Department, announced the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Heck is handling the prosecution. Court records, including Case No. 2:20-cr-16, are available via the Eastern District of Virginia’s court website and PACER.

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